The Rodeo Rider

Jules regarded the horse with trepidation. It did look gentle at the moment, a far cry from how it had looked when Shawn had been on its back. But she wasn’t ready to get close. Not yet. “Maybe another time.”

Bridey stepped closer. “Don’t be afraid, Miss Vandeveer. That horse loves Shawn. And Shawn won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jules didn’t follow as Shawn approached the horse. She saw the animal’s ears go back when he reached out, and then heard the soft nicker when he stroked the horse’s head. She wished she could do the same.

“Come on, Miss—Jules,” Shawn said in a calm, quiet voice.

Jules heard birds singing in the distance and felt a soft breeze moving past her. The scent of horses and ranch surrounded her. But she couldn’t take a step forward. It had been so long ago. She remembered only that her mount had shied at the jump, and she had sailed over his head. Losing two weeks of her life wasn’t much, but the struggle to regain her speech had been long and arduous. She longed to take that first step and climb through the fence to touch the animal, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t ready. Not yet.

WITH THE CALVING over and both cow and calf doing fine, Tanner stepped out of the barn into the yard. After three steps, he stopped. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Beth, following him, collided with his back. “Sorry. You just stopped and—”

“Why didn’t you tell me you brought her?”

Stepping up beside him, Beth shaded her eyes and looked in the direction he was looking. “To be honest, I forgot. We were busy, remember?”

Tanner looked down at her. “That we were, but all is well, thanks to you.”

“And thanks to good Rocking O stock.”

From the corral, they heard Shawn saying, “Come on, Jules.”

Now Tanner’s attention was on the woman who’d been on his mind for more than a week. A woman with green eyes that took his breath away.

“Come on,” he said, taking Beth’s arm and pulling her along behind him. She stuttered and stammered, but he paid her no heed until she literally dug in her heels.

“No, Tanner. Whatever it is you’re thinking, don’t. I must have been crazy to bring her here. But I had hoped…”

He turned to look at her and saw the stubborn streak he’d heard about but never seen. “What?” It was clear as day that she had hooking them up in mind. It wasn’t the first time someone had put a woman in his way. But why the sudden change of mind?

“She’s…” Beth shook her head, scowled and stared at the ground between them. “You don’t know her, Tanner.” She turned to watch her friend, the scowl turning to a worried frown. “And I’m not so sure I want you to. I never should have introduced you to her.” She started for the corral, but Tanner stopped her.

“Wait just a minute.” His hand gripped her upper arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Beth stared up at him and opened her mouth to speak. She glanced at Jules, who stood at the fence shaking her head. “She’s a good person, Tanner,” she said in a quiet voice before looking him in the eye. “Not that you aren’t, but I know your type. You’re a love-’em-and-leave-’em cowboy. A one-night-stand man.”

He felt about an inch tall and it made him mad. “Says who?”

Her smile was lopsided. “Everybody. I’ve heard the tales.” Her smile vanished. “Unless you’re halfway serious, leave her alone.”

“Well, they’re old tales,” he said between clenched teeth. He’d finished with one-night stands, as few as they were, long ago. And this, coming from a tiny woman not much bigger than the newborn calf she’d just helped birth, was more than he could take. “Hell, I don’t know that I even want to know her.” He clamped his mouth shut and kicked at the dirt.

He couldn’t honestly say that he was immune to the blonde’s charms. She definitely presented a challenge. And he did love a challenge. If he took it, he wouldn’t do any harm to Beth’s friend. And that was a big if.

Without a saying a word, he walked in the direction of the corral. “I see you like horses, Miss Vandeveer,” he called to her.

“I mean it, Tanner.” Behind him, Beth’s voice held a threatening note. “You and Shawn are good at breaking horses. Don’t break Jules.”

“Not on your life.” He watched Jules turn toward them, looking fine and sassy in a pair of blue jeans that hugged her hips and long legs to perfection. He knew for certain her emerald-green T-shirt matched her eyes. He’d have to remember not to pay any attention to the tempting sight.

“Hello, Mr. O’Brien,” she said when he reached the fence to stand beside her. “Your son’s a very intelligent and talented young man.”

Tanner stared at her. “My what?”

“Your son.” She looked at Beth, then back at him, her eyes wide.

“Shawn is Tanner’s nephew, Jules,” Beth said. “His brother’s boy.”

“Oh. I suppose I should’ve asked.”

Tanner couldn’t contain the laughter any longer. “And I guess I’m supposed to have a wife tucked away somewhere.”

“I thought…I didn’t…”

“It’s okay,” he told her with a grin. “There are some people around here who don’t have a high opinion of me.” He shot a look at Beth and turned back to Jules. “No reason to be afraid of Temptation there. He looks rowdier than he is, and Shawn keeps a tight rein on him.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

But she didn’t look convinced, and that had him wondering. “You don’t like horses?”

“Not everyone is horse crazy, Tanner,” Beth said quickly. “That may be your area of expertise, but not everyone’s.”

“It’s okay, Beth,” Jules said. “As they say, it takes all kinds. He may think I don’t know the front of a horse from its backside, but as I’ve told him, I do. And I’m sure I know more about the finer points of law than Mr. O’Brien does.”

Tanner recognized the soft dig and acknowledged it with a smile. “You’ve got me there, Miss Vandeveer. But we’re all open to a little learning, aren’t we?”

She hesitated before answering, “Yes, of course.”

Something about the way she glanced at Beth told him there was something wrong. She didn’t strike him as a woman who was afraid of anything. She could certainly hold her own in a verbal sparring match with him, and he admired that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get to know Temptation, Jules?” Shawn asked, joining them. “Or we could saddle another horse for you.”

Her face paled and she shook her head. “Thanks, Shawn, but I’ll pass on the riding. I appreciate your offer, though.”

“I just thought—”

Beth broke in. “We have another stop, and then some wedding things to do, so Jules and I should be going.”

“Thanks for the help, Beth,” Tanner said, following the two women to the Jeep. He wondered what it was that neither of them wanted to talk about, but decided it wasn’t any of his business. Whatever had Jules Vandeveer scared of horses didn’t have anything to do with him. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t curious about her.

“She’s a nice lady,” Shawn announced as the two women drove away.

“You like her, huh?” Tanner looked down at the mirror image of his younger brother.

“Yeah, she’s all right. She even said she used to ride.”

The smile Tanner was feeling disappeared. “She said what?”

“She used to ride,” Shawn repeated. “But maybe she thinks I can’t handle Temptation. He threw me off while she was watching.”

Tanner glanced up to see the dust from the Jeep settle along the road. “If that’s what she thinks, she’s wrong.”

“Yeah, she is.”

Shawn’s confident smile was enough for Tanner. He couldn’t be prouder of the boy and his expertise with horses. “Guess we’d better get some work done,” he told his nephew. “Go see what Rowdy has for you to do.”

Shawn’s mouth turned down in a scowl. “Whatever.”

Tanner sighed as he watched the boy walk toward the barn. Just when he thought things might be getting better, they turned sour again. Weary of dealing with it, he started on the day’s chores.

But hard work didn’t put his problems with Shawn in the background. While he fixed fence, checked the pastures for water and did the dozen other things that came naturally to a rancher, his mind seldom strayed from the teenager. Even the distracting memory of a pair of green eyes lit with fire couldn’t chase away his concern.

Supper proved to be a relatively quiet meal, with Shawn still pouting. Aunt Bridey had tried to draw the boy out, but Shawn remained silent. When he’d finished his meal, the boy had flung himself out the door. Knowing it wouldn’t do any good to try to talk to him again, Tanner retreated to his office. Ranching required tons of paperwork, from feed schedules to vet reports, and Tanner found them almost relaxing after a day of hard physical labor.

“I see you’re at that confounded machine.”

Tanner looked up from his computer to see his stocky, bowlegged ranch foreman standing in the doorway of the wood-paneled study. “You ought to learn how to use this thing.”

Rowdy Thompson ambled into the room and took a seat on an old leather chair across the desk from Tanner. “Naw, you enjoy it too much. I don’t want to weasel in on your fun.”

Tanner chuckled and rolled his chair back to prop a booted foot on the desk. “It helps with the number crunching.”

“That’s your department,” Rowdy answered in his usual gruff way.

Tanner smiled to himself. Rowdy might like people to think he was a dumb old coot, but Tanner knew better. With a degree in animal science, the older man didn’t want for smarts. He’d saved the Rocking O plenty of times with his know-how. Tanner often marveled that Rowdy had stayed with them for so long, but he’d learned years before not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Rowdy took a cigar from the humidor on the desk and bit off the end. “Shawn seems to be getting more crotchety by the day.” He struck a match and puffed on the end of the stogie to light it. “Maybe if you’d gone on to the bigger rodeos like you should have, things wouldn’t be so bad with him.”

The smell of imported cigar drifted through the room as Tanner frowned. “You and I already discussed this. If I’d traipsed all over the country like we’d planned, things would probably be worse. I wouldn’t have been here. By keeping to the smaller ones close to home, he’s been able to go along with me, and that’s what’s important.”

Rowdy chewed on the cigar, a thoughtful expression on his weathered face. “You’re putting your life on hold for a swell-headed kid. You need to be making the PRCA rounds, not dinkin’ around with these little dirt rodeos.”

Tanner nodded. “That’s your opinion, Rowdy, and you’re welcome to it. But circuit rodeos aren’t little dirt rodeos, and you know it. They count for Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association. I can make it to Finals either way. But I’m responsible for that boy. I’m his guardian. He’s not going to run off at the age of fifteen like his daddy did. Even if it means I have to give up rodeo.”

Rowdy replied with a grunt. “Damn foolish thing that would be with your talent. You’ll be running this ranch on your own if you do that.”

Tanner knew Rowdy wouldn’t desert him, no matter what course his life might take. But if his foreman wanted to put in his opinion, Tanner wouldn’t argue the point. “Maybe by the time school starts again in the fall, things will have changed for the better.”

“We can sure hope so.” Rowdy flicked cigar ash into an ashtray and gave Tanner a stern look. “You’re not gettin’ any younger.”

As far as rodeo went, nothing was closer to the truth, Tanner knew, but he forced a grin. “I’ve got a few years left.”

Rowdy grunted before grinding out the cigar and leaving Tanner to his thoughts.

One more year. If he could have one more year, maybe he could reach that brass ring—and have a gold Nationals championship buckle to show for it. That and Shawn were what he needed to stay focused on. Not a woman with golden hair and green eyes who had nothing in common with him except a quick mind and a glib tongue.

Chapter Three

Jules eyed the box the postmistress handed her. “Is it anything that will break?”

From behind the scarred, wooden counter in the quaint post office, the woman shook her head. “It’s usually marked ‘fragile’ if it is. Beth has home delivery of her mail, but her mailbox is small, so we hold the bigger items for her.”

“I don’t mind picking it up at all,” Jules said, taking the box. “Running errands for Beth while she’s out on vet calls makes me feel like I’m doing something useful, and it gives me a chance to meet some of the people here in town.” She noticed the large, antique clock hanging on the wall behind the woman, who had introduced herself as Betty, and realized it was later than she’d thought. “And speaking of errands, I’d better get them finished. It’s been so nice to meet you, Betty.”

“Nice meeting you, too. Hope your stay in Desperation is a pleasant one.”

Just as Jules turned to leave, the little bell over the door jingled. After visiting his ranch and seeing it wasn’t far from town, she shouldn’t have been surprised to see Tanner O’Brien walk in, but she wasn’t prepared to see him again.

He took one look at her and grinned. “Morning, Jules.”

“Hello, Tanner.”

“Hello to you, too, Betty,” he said, approaching the counter. “How’s Jed?”

“Ornery as ever,” the postmistress replied, laughing. “You know how he is.”

Jules smiled at the friendly banter and had to admit that Tanner O’Brien was a fine example of a good-looking man. Too bad she wasn’t in the market for one. Putting him out of her mind was proving to be much harder than she’d thought it would be, but she kept trying by keeping busy helping Beth. That was proving much easier. She was enjoying her vacation and meeting the nice people of Desperation. For a small town, they accepted strangers without question. Or maybe that was Beth’s doing. Whichever, she was glad she’d let Beth talk her into coming for a visit.

When she opened the door to leave, the bell overhead announced her departure, and Tanner called to her, “Hang on, Jules, if you have a minute. As soon as Betty puts some postage on this package of Bridey’s, I’ll walk with you.”

Wondering why he wanted her company, but knowing it would be rude to ask or refuse his offer, Jules stepped back into the building and waited for him to finish his business. As she tried not to eavesdrop on his conversation with the postmistress, her gaze took in the wall of small, bronze-fronted lockboxes across the room. The combination fittings of the mailboxes were testimony not only to their age, but their endurance.

“Another care package for the troops?” Betty was asking Tanner.

“You know Aunt Bridey,” he replied. “A week doesn’t go by that she doesn’t send something somewhere.”

“Most of us should take a page from her book and do some good deeds ourselves. Tell Bridey thanks for her good heart and for keeping the post office in business.”

“Will do.” Turning, he strode to where Jules waited and reached around her to turn the knob on the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s not a problem.” Stepping down onto the sidewalk, Jules tried to forget about the man with her. Instead, she looked up at the bright blue July sky overhead, glad she’d left her car at Beth’s little house and opted to walk the few blocks to the small, downtown business area. It was the perfect day for a walk—something she didn’t do much of in the city.

In fact, as Tanner moved to walk beside her, she realized she didn’t do much of anything in the city. Oh, there was an occasional trip to the symphony, but that was only when a colleague gave her tickets. And once or twice a year, she took in a community theater production. But those were inside activities. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to the zoo or taken the time to simply enjoy being outdoors. Beth had been right. She kept herself cooped up in her Wichita law office too much.

“Beautiful day,” Tanner said, echoing her thoughts.

“It certainly is. I was just thinking how glad I am that I decided to walk.”

“So what do you think of our little town?”

Most of the downtown business area was spread out ahead of them and stretched almost two blocks. Buildings, mostly one-story, some two-story, lined both sides of the street. Quaint and unique were the words that came to mind, as each connected building had a design and character of its own.

“It’s a very nice town. Pretty and charming. But I’m wondering…” She hesitated.

“About what?”

When she turned to smile at him, her knees weakened at the smile he flashed her in return. Shaking off the reaction, she focused on what she was saying, not on the man. “I’m wondering where the name came from. ‘Desperation’ is a little odd.”

“Odder than Monkey’s Eyebrow, Arizona?”

“Not quite,” she said, laughing.

“How about Hygiene, Colorado?”

Still laughing, she shook her head.

“Yeehaw Junction? Krypton? Mudlick?”

“Okay, you’ve got me. Those are odd. But why Desperation?”

Before he could answer, they were forced to stop when a man and woman stepped out onto the sidewalk from the Chick-a-Lick Café.

“Excuse me,” the man said, realizing they had stepped into someone’s path, and then recognition lit his eyes. “Hey, Tanner.”

“Hello, Cal,” Tanner greeted the man, before turning to the woman and touching the brim of his hat. “Wilma. Have you two met Jules Vandeveer, Dr. Beth’s friend?”

The woman directed a friendly smile at Jules. “I haven’t had the pleasure. I heard Beth had a friend visiting. You’ll be at her wedding?”

“Yes,” Jules replied. “In her wedding, making sure all the arrangements are made, setting it up…” She laughed, thinking of all the things on her list. “The date is quickly approaching and there’s so much to do yet.”

“That’s the way it is with weddings,” Wilma said with a knowing nod. “It’s good to know Beth has a friend who can help.”

“We’ll see you Friday?” Cal asked Tanner.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he replied.

Cal took his wife’s arm. “Wilma’s playing bridge this afternoon, so we’d better get going. Don’t want her to miss it or be late. Nice to meet you, miss.”

When the couple crossed the street, Tanner turned to Jules. “You asked about Desperation.”

She nodded, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Well, the story goes that people began moving into the area during the land rush in the late 1800s, but the town was really settled after oil was found in these parts a few years later. Those were wild times, before Oklahoma became a state. People swarmed here in droves, desperate to find their own little patch of black gold. As it turned out, the pool of oil in this area was only a small one and didn’t last very long. Eventually people either left the area, disillusioned, or they stayed and homesteaded.”

She thought about it and nodded. “‘Desperation’ makes a lot of sense, then.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Jules noticed the large building across the street near the end of the first block. She stopped to point at it. “What’s that building?”

Tanner stopped, too, and looked to where she indicated. “The old Opera House. It’s closed right now, but a committee is working on restoring it.”

Admiring the Victorian structure, she turned to look at him. “That’s wonderful. What will they use it for?”

He shrugged, his gaze still on the building. “They haven’t decided. Maybe several things. A soda shop or ice-cream parlor was suggested, space for a youth center and conference rooms, maybe some small offices.” He turned to look at her. “They’re taking private donations, if you’re interested.”

“I just might be.” Her parents had taught her that those who have should help the have-nots, whether it was one person, a group or even a town. Because of them, she had always given to worthy causes and had a soft spot for restorations of old buildings and homes.

He watched her for a moment, as if he thought she was joking, but he didn’t say anything else until they’d walked on.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he began, “because I have a little proposition for you.”

She looked up at him, not sure how to react. “Oh, really? And what kind of proposition would that be?”

When he laughed, she knew she hadn’t covered her surprise very well. “It’s about Shawn,” he explained, his laughter gone. “But now that I’ve mentioned it, I don’t think I’m ready to offer it yet.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged and glanced down to smile at her, releasing a load of butterflies in her stomach. “No reason,” he said. “Maybe the day is too nice to be serious. But I’m sure the right time will come.”

Although tempted to insist he tell her what it was, Jules decided to remain silent. What if it was a proposition she wasn’t interested in? What if it was?

“Rain’s coming,” he said, as if he hadn’t piqued her curiosity.

Jules looked up at the clear sky. “It doesn’t look like rain. How can you tell?”

“You mean you can’t smell it?”

Taking a sniff of the air, she shook her head.

His chuckle came from deep in his chest and seemed to ripple through her body. “Mark my word, we’ll have rain within the next day or two.”

She thought he was crazy, but she kept her opinion to herself.

“Shawn mentioned that you used to ride.”

She suddenly wished she hadn’t told Shawn the truth and had made up a story, instead. But either way, it wouldn’t keep these men whose lives revolved around horses from thinking she should be on one. And she wasn’t ready for that.

“Used to being the operative words,” she finally replied and waited for more questions. When none came, she was surprised.

“Hey, Tanner!”

Jules turned to see two teenagers hurrying across the street toward them.

“Morning, boys,” Tanner greeted them.

The taller of the two appeared to be about sixteen and acknowledged Jules with a nod of his head, then turned to Tanner. “Are you riding this weekend?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great! We don’t get to see you much, and we were sure hoping you would be.”

The other boy nodded. “Too much work in the summer and too much school the rest of the time.”

“Both of those are more important than rodeos,” Tanner told them, “but I know what you mean. It’s never easy to do the things you have to do, instead of what you want to, but some things can’t be ignored. School is one of them.”

Both boys nodded, their expressions solemn. “Thanks, Tanner. We’ll see you this weekend. You’ll know it’s us by the whoopin’ and hollerin’ in the stands.”

Tanner chuckled and shook his head as they walked away. Jules was impressed by the way he’d handled the boys. They obviously idolized him, and he’d given them good advice. She suspected they would heed his words much more than they would their parents’.

She hadn’t missed how much people in the small town liked him. It was becoming clear he had a good heart. “They certainly think highly of you here in Desperation.”

“They keep me going. Doesn’t matter to them how good or bad I ride, they’re always behind me, cheering me on.”

“Has it always been that way?” she asked.

“They’re good people. If somebody needs help, there’s always someone or a bunch of someones who are there and ready to lend a helping hand, no matter what it is.”

She admired the way people in a small town pulled together. She’d never been aware of the same in Wichita, but then, it was a large city and she didn’t have a lot of opportunities to socialize. Her career took up the bulk of her time. Why, she didn’t even know her neighbors in the apartment building where she lived!

“I’d better get back to the ranch,” he said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “There’s work to be done before the shindig on Friday. You’ll be there, right?”

She knew he was talking about Desperation’s upcoming Fourth of July celebration. Beth and several other women in the community had talked her into helping the next day to set up for the community barbecue on Friday. “I’m looking forward to it.”